The invention relates to a self-adhesive hanger comprising a self-adhesive portion adapted to be able to be stuck to an object to be suspended, and a hanger secured to the self-adhesive portion and permitting hooking or gripping the hanger, and the object to which it is stuck.
There exist numerous situations in which objects must be able to be hung.
Such is particularly the case of packaged articles offered for sale in stores, hung from arms secured to shelves or presentation panels. For small articles, there is most often used specific packaging, so-called blisters, comprising a cardboard base (on which commercial information and/or instructions can be given) bearing a shell or a synthetic film enclosing the articles. The cardboard base is pierced to be able to be threaded on an arm. Similarly, certain other types of packaging provided with holes, permit hanging the articles. Nevertheless, it is known that it is important to be able to reduce the volume and quantity of material used in packages which, as trash, is costly and imposes increasing problems of elimination and pollution. Moreover, certain types of articles or packaging cannot be presented by hanging. Such is in particular the case of articles or groups of articles packaged in thermoshrunk film (magnetic cassettes, food pastes, cheeses, magazines, electrical connections or accessories, . . . ) or in paper or cardboard envelopes (packages of crackers, boxes of vegetables, cereals, cartons of cigarettes, candy, chocolate bars, paper articles, . . . ), or unpackaged materials (tools, receptacles (bottles, flasks, pots . . . ), lingerie, clothing, shoes, sporting goods, . . . ).
The same problem arises in numerous other situations, for example for hanging on the wall decorative objects such as frames, for the manual transportation of objects without handles (packages, shoes, documents, files, bottles, flasks . . . ).
Numerous solutions have been proposed to satisfy this problem in certain applications.
A first solution consists in a hook cut out of a so-called rigid synthetic material sheet (resilient in flexure, such as polyester, PVC, polypropane . . . ) stuck on a self-adhesive label adapted itself to be stuck on the object to be hung. This solution is relatively costly and complicated to make. Moreover, the presence of the rigid plate creates in general an added thickness preventing the production of reels of large dimension for automatic positioning with a standard label maker. Also, once positioned on an object for its presentation hung in a store, the rigid hook necessarily extends beyond the object, which poses problems of packaging, manipulation, size and risk of untimely hooking or tearing during storage or transport before hanging the articles. Moreover, this device is not very resistant to the extent to which a risk exists that the rigid plate comes unstuck from the label, or the label comes unstuck from the object, particularly under the influence of the weight of the hung object which is generally not exerted in the plane of the plate and of the label (this latter being only rarely centered relative to the object).
A second solution consists in a plate of rigid synthetic material of which a portion is cut out to form a hanger (hook or opening) and another portion is provided with a layer of self-adhesive material adapted to be stuck on an object to be hung. This solution also is relatively troublesome given the cost of the rigid synthetic materials and prevents use of an automatic labeler. Moreover, it cannot be used in a case in which the hanger must not extend beyond the contour of the object. And here again, it offers only a low strength and is not adapted for hanging heavy objects.
A third solution consists in a label of flexible synthetic material having a self-adhesive portion, and a pre-cutout portion suitable to form, by deployment and/or plastic stretching, a hanging handle.
In the case of deployment without stretching, it is possible to use low-cost flexible materials, such that this solution is thus less costly than the preceding. But the production of the cutout permitting forming the handle by deploying a strip of precut material is relatively delicate and costly to produce. Moreover, it offers a relatively low resistance to the extent to which the width of the strip forming the handle is necessarily very much less than that of the self-adhesive portion, and the ends or corners of the cutout constitute regions of less strength. Moreover, this label is less easy to use during the step of hanging objects, because it requires a precise manipulation to grip the pre-cutout strip and to deploy it to form the handle. Thus, if this manipulation can be suitable for special use, for example in a laboratory, it hinders productivity in industry or commerce during mass production. Moreover, the shape of the pre-cutout being essentially dictated by the size of the handle and its strength, it is difficult to produce various forms adapted to the hooking members. The handle thus formed accordingly does not generally offer a good holding of the objectxe2x80x94particularly in horizontal directions, relative to the hooking member. And when the objects are grouped, the adjacent handles can become entangled. Finally, the handle thus deployed does not offer regularity of shape and is hardly pleasing to the eye. This solution is thus suitable for gripping handles for objects that are small in number and not very heavy, but is not suitable either for the presentation of articles at points of sale or for heavy articles.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,301 discloses a suspension label comprising a peripheral portion provided with double-faced adhesive strips for sticking it to an article, and a central cutout portion forming a suspension tab bendable along a bend line delimited by the ends of the cutout forming the tab, this bend line not corresponding to an assembly line. Rounded fillets must be provided at these ends of the cutout, which remain particularly fragile. In a modification, this label is not directly applied to the article, but to an intermediate adhesive label that is not cut out, and is itself stuck to the article, and which can be of paper to receive printing. This second label, provided to reinforce the hanging, is in practice without interest, because all the forces remain imparted to the first cutout label and the adhesive strips. Here again, the bend line is delimited by the cutout of the tab and does not correspond to an assembly line of the two labels. This device thus has all the drawbacks mentioned above, of difficulty and cost of production, fragility, aging, difficulty of handling, not very effective holding, not very good appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,495 discloses another modification of a hanger of this third type in which the hanger portion is formed by an extension prolonging the adhesive portion, cut out and folded and bent down before use along a bend line in this adhesive region. Other portions are folded down on the assembly to hold the folded down hangar portion on the adhesive portion before use. As a result, the assembly is complex and costly and is adapted for special use in laboratories or care centers (for example for holding perfusion bags) but inappropriate for industrial or commercial use for hanging large numbers of articles.
In the case of deployment accompanied by plastic drawing, it is moreover necessary to use a stretchable material such as a polyamide, which is high priced. Moreover, the drawing operation is delicate and the risk is great of stretching the material too far. And the material in the stretched condition within the plastic region offers much less resistance in tension.
A fourth solution consists in a label formed by a flexible strip having two self-adhesive portions separated by an intermediate non-adhesive portion forming a hanging loop with the object itself when the self-adhesive portions are stuck to the object. Here again, such a label is in practice relatively costly to produce (because of the presence of two separate adhesive portions independently protected each by a non-stick protective sheet), cannot be applied to object to be hung by a conventional automatic labeler, and does not permit adapting the shape of the suspension loop to ensure good holding relative to the hooking members.
The invention seeks to overcome all of these drawbacks by providing a self-adhesive hanger which, simultaneously, can be produced at an extremely reduced cost, can be automatically applied in mass production with the help of a simple labeler, offers high strength and can be adapted to hanging very diverse objects, including heavy objects over a long period of time, and whose hanger can be easily adapted without increasing the cost, to hooking or gripping members with which it is adapted to coact.
The invention also seeks to provide a device which, moreover, will be easy to use, convenient and self-explanatory during hanging objects, and in particular, which will be compatible with constraints of productivity of the work of hanging large numbers of objects in series (stores or industrial depots, supermarkets . . . ).
To do this, the invention relates to a self-adhesive hanger comprising a self-adhesive portion adapted to be able to stuck to an object to be hung, formed by a first strip of a first film of flexible synthetic material of which one surface, the so-called adhesive surface, bears a layer of self-adhesive material and the other surface, the so-called outer surface, is free from adhesive material, and hanging means secured to the self-adhesive portion, formed by at least a second strip of a second sheet of flexible synthetic material, connected to and at least in part facing the external surface of the first strip, the second strip forming at least one tab comprising at least one cutout defining an opening in this tab adapted to form a hanging loop, this tab being adapted to be raised from the first strip by bending along a bend line, characterized in that:
the second strip is connected in permanent assembly by welding to the external surface of the first strip, along at least one weld line,
at least one tab extends over and at least in part facing the external surface of the first strip, from a weld line freely without being attached moreover to the first step, so as to be able to be raised from the first strip by bending along said weld line serving as a bend line.
Conventionally, in all the text, the term xe2x80x9cself-adhesivexe2x80x9d and its derivatives indicate a cold pressure sensitive adhesive.
The second strip is separate from the first strip (it does not constitute a prolongation of it), and is assembled permanently to the first strip in the sense that the two strips cannot normally be separated from each other under the influence of strong force and/or aging without undergoing deterioration. In particular, there are associated with each other without gluing, particularly without gluing with a self-adhesive material.
Preferably, and according to the invention, the second strip is superposed on the first strip and assembled with the first by hot welding without the addition of material, along at least one weld line. It is to be noted in particular that, contrary to gluing, an assembly by welding, particularly hot welding without the addition of material, does not cause any phenomenon of aging.
In a first modification of the invention, the second strip is welded to the first strip along a straight weld line from one end, extending along a straight end edge of the first strip, so as to define a tab forming a suspension loop which, before use, extends above the first strip, and, during use, is unfolded relative to the end weld line.
According to a second modification of the invention, the second strip is welded to the first strip by at least one straight weld line at least substantially medially and forms two tabs extending opposite each other relative to the weld line or lines, at least one of these tabs forming a hanging loop, the first strip extending from each side of the weld line or lines. In a first submodification, each of the two tabs of the second strip forms a hanging loop. In a second submodification, one of the tabs forms a hanging loop, whilst the other tab is free from a cutout and carries the mentioned printing. Moreover, preferably, and according to the invention, particularly in the first submodification, there are provided two straight weld lines at least substantially parallel and medially positioned one relative to the other, adjacent each other. Also as a modification, there can be provided a single straight weld line of a sufficiently great width.
It is to be noted that in the solutions of the prior art described above, in which a hanging member is assembled to an adhesive label, this hanging member is always provided in synthetic material of a rigid type. Thus, it can be considered that such a rigid material permits ensuring better resistance and better holding at the level of the hanging member which coacts with hooking means or gripping means and which is supposed to be subjected to the most force. Conversely, according to the invention, the hanging member formed by the second strip, although connected and assembled to the first strip, is of flexible material, which gives strong advantages and permits not only the ultimate positioning with the help of an automatic labeler and obtaining a low cost, but also equivalent strength and superior durability over time. Thus, the flexible tab forming the hanging loop can deform without stress, particularly under the influence of the weight of the suspended object, without generating stresses in the assembly of the strips between themselves nor on the welding of the device on the suspended object. Contrary to the cutout hanging tabs in the adhesive portions (U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,301) the hanging tab of a hanging device according to the invention is connected by a weld line serving as a bend line of high strength and not subject to untimely tearing.
The flexible synthetic materials and the rigid synthetic materials are of course well known. By way of flexible synthetic material, there can be used in a device according to the invention, any material sufficiently flexible to permit the positioning of the device on the object with a traditional label.
Preferably and according to the invention, the first strip and the second strip are formed of a same flexible synthetic materialxe2x80x94particularly low density polyethylenexe2x80x94. In particular, it is possible to use standard low density polyethylene of low price, for example from recycling.
The first strip and the second strip can have at least substantially the same thickness, or on the contrary have very different thicknesses, according to the mechanical stresses which each strip must resist. Preferably, and according to the invention, they have a thickness comprised between 20 xcexcm and 500 xcexcmxe2x80x94particularly of the order of 30 xcexcm to 150 xcexcmxe2x80x94.
Moreover, preferably, and according to the invention, the first strip and the second strip have the same format and are superposed on each other. Preferably, and according to the invention, the first strip is carried by a removable non-stick supportxe2x80x94particularly a siliconed paperxe2x80x94receiving the adhesive service of the hanging device in the manner of a label.
A device according to the invention can thus be produced and used as a simple self-stick label, and particularly several devices according to the invention can be grouped on a common support.
The invention also relates to a group of devices according to the invention carried by a same common non-stick support. Preferably, and according to the invention, such a group of devices is present in the form of a spool, and thus can be used as a spool of labels with a conventional label applicator for positioning the devices I series on the objects to be hung. As a modification, a group of devices according to the invention can be present on a sheet.
The invention also relates to a process for the production of a group of devices according to the invention. A process according to the invention is characterized in that:
there is applied a first film of flexible synthetic material onto the non-stick support with the interposition of a layer of self-adhesive material, this first film having an external surface free from adhesive material,
there is connected a second film of flexible synthetic material that is assembled rigidly in an unremovable manner by welding onto the external surface of the first film along at least one weld line,
the hanging devices are then cut out by producing a halfway cutout passing through the thickness of the two films to delimit the contour of each hangar, and a halfway cutout passing through the thickness of the second film to produce cutouts defining the openings forming the hanging loops.
Preferably, and according to the invention, the different steps are continuously performed from spools of anti-stick support and films, to form at least one spool of hangars available like labels.
The invention also relates to a device, a group, and a process characterized in combination for all or a portion of the characteristics mentioned above and hereafter.